Luc Gnacadja, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, talks about the importance of measuring desertification and land use changes and discusses the importance of action on a regional and sub-regional level, and talks about the importance of information to the man on the street. Gnacadja also explains the UNCCD role in the climate change process and how desertification efforts are relevant both in terms of mitigation and adaptation, and he explains why he feels that he “has to be optimistic” about the overall process. Also see Luc Gnacadja speaking from Copenhagen.